List of medieval great powers
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
(Learn how and when to remove this template message)
|
This is a list of great powers during the medieval period. The term "great power" has only been used in historiography and political science since the Congress of Vienna in 1815.[1] Lord Castlereagh, the British Foreign Secretary, first used the term in its diplomatic context in 1814. Use of the term in medieval historiography is therefore idiosyncratic to each author. In historiography of the pre-modern period, it is more typical to talk of empires (itself a poorly-defined term, see list of empires).
Contents
Muslim states[edit]
The Middle Ages proper begin with the collapse of the remnants of Late Antiquity in the 7th century due to the Islamic conquests. The Old World is largely dominated by Muslim caliphates during the mid-7th to 10th centuries.
| Name | Duration | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|
| Rashidun Caliphate | 632–661 | |
| Umayyad Caliphate | 661–750 | |
| Abbasid Caliphate | 750–1518 | |
| Fatimid Caliphate | 909–1171 | |
| Ghaznavid Empire | 10th c. | |
| Great Seljuk Empire | 1037–1194 | [3] |
| Ayyubid Sultanate | 1171–1250 | |
| Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt | 1250–1518 | |
| Ilkhanate | 1256-1353 | |
| Timurid Empire | 1370–1507 | [4] |
Christian states[edit]
Eastern Christianity[edit]
| Name | Duration | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|
| Byzantine Empire | 4th.–13th c. | The Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) was the foremost Christian power in the early medieval period, but under pressure from the Islamic conquests and the Turkic expansion it declined in the high medieval period. It fell to Frankish conquest in 1204 and although restored in the 1260s it did not regain its former stature. |
| Bulgarian Empire | 10th c. | [5] |
| Serbian Empire | 14th c. | |
| Kievan Rus' | 882-1240 | |
| Grand Duchy of Moscow | 13th–16th c. | |
| Ethiopian Empire | 12th–16th c. |
Latin Christianity[edit]
| Name | Duration | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|
| Frankish Empire/Carolingian Empire | 8th/9th c. | |
| North Sea Empire | 11th c. | |
| Kingdom of Germany/Holy Roman Empire | 10th-16th c. | |
| Kingdom of Hungary | 10th-13th c. | |
| Kingdom of Jerusalem/Crusader states | 12th c. | |
| Kingdom of France | 12th-16th c. | |
| Angevin Empire/Kingdom of England | 12th-16th c. | |
| Republic of Genoa | 1099–1380 | |
| Republic of Venice | 1204–1489 | |
| Crown of Castile | 1230–1480 | |
| Crown of Aragon | 1340s – 1480s | |
| Poland-Lithuania | 1386–1572 | |
| Papal States | 14th/15th c. | |
| Kalmar Union | 1397–1523 | |
| Kingdom of Sicily | 1130–1816 | |
| Kingdom of Portugal | 12th–17th c. |
Medieval China[edit]
| Name | Duration | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|
| Sui dynasty | 581–618 | |
| Tang dynasty | 618–907 | |
| Liao dynasty | 907–1125 | Liao was initially named the Khitan State. Its name was changed to Liao in 947. |
| Song dynasty | 960–1279 | |
| Jin dynasty | 1115–1234 | |
| Yuan dynasty | 1206–1368 | The Mongol Empire was founded in 1206. Kublai Khan proclaimed it to be the Yuan dynasty in 1271. |
| Ming dynasty | 1368–1644 |
Inner Asia and Mongolia[edit]
| Name | Duration | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|
| Göktürk Turkic Khaganate | 7th/8th c. | |
| Uyghur Khaganate | 8th c. | |
| Qara Khitai | 12th c. | |
| Mongol Empire | 1206–1368 | The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world. |
Sub-Saharan Africa[edit]
| Name | Duration | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|
| Ghana Empire | 700-1240 | |
| Kanem-Bornu Empire | 700–1380 | |
| Mali Empire | 1300–1450 | |
| Kongo Empire | 1390–1857 | |
| Songhai Empire | 15th/16th c. |
South and Southeast Asia[edit]
| Name | Duration | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|
| Maurya Empire | 321-185 BC | |
| Chola Empire | 300-1279 | |
| Pandian Empire | 300-1650 | |
| Chalukya Empire | 543-753 | |
| Srivijaya Empire | 650-1377 | |
| Pala Empire | 750-1174 | |
| Rashtrakuta Empire | 753-982 | |
| Khmer Empire | 802-1431 | |
| Delhi Sultanate | 1192-1506 | |
| Majapahit Empire | 1293-1527 | |
| Bengal Sultanate | 1352-1576 |
Pre-Columbian Americas[edit]
- Toltec Empire, 8th-12th c.
- Maya Civilization Classic period, (c. 250 to 900)
- Wari Empire 6th century–11th century c.
- Kingdom of Chimor 9th century–1470 c.
- Inca Empire, 15th-16th c.
- Aztec Empire, 15th-16th c.
- Tarascan State, 14th-16th c.
- Tlaxcala (Nahua state), 14th-16th c.
- Tlatelolco (altepetl), 14th-16th c.
- Olmecs
See also[edit]
- Middle Ages
- List of ancient great powers
- List of modern great powers
- Great power
- Superpower
- Middle power
- List of largest empires
- List of historical countries and empires spanning more than one continent
References[edit]
- ^ Fueter, Eduard (1922). World history, 1815–1930. United States of America: Harcourt, Brace and Company. pp. 25–28, 36–44. ISBN 1-58477-077-5.
- ^ Meisami, Julie Scott, Persian Historiography to the End of the Twelfth Century, (Edinburgh University Press, 1999), 143. "Nizam al-Mulk also attempted to organise the Saljuq administration according to the Persianate Ghaznavid model." Encyclopaedia Iranica, Iran: Islamic Period – Ghaznavids, E. Yarshater Archived 2009-08-15 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Jean Paul Roux: Historie des Turcs (Trans:Prof Dr.Aykut Kazancıgil - Lale Arslan Özcan) Kabalcı yayınevi, İstanbul, 2007, ISBN 975-997-091-0, p.205–205
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica article: Consolidation & expansion of the Indo-Timurids, Online Edition, 2007.
- ^ "Bulgaria - The Slavs and the Bulgars". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
External links[edit]
- Cooper, F. (2008). Empires and Political Imagination in World History. Princeton [u.a.]: Princeton University Press.
- Doyle, M. W. (1986). Empires. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University Press.
- English, Edward D. ed. Encyclopedia Of The Medieval World (2 vol. 2004).
- Farrington, K. (2003). Historical Atlas of Empires. London: Mercury.
- Harrison, T., & J. Paul Getty Museum. (2009). The Great Empires of the Ancient World. Los Angeles, Calif: J. Paul Getty Museum.
- Khan, A. (2004). A Historical Atlas of India. New York: Rosen Pub.
- Jordan, William Chester. (1996) The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students (4 Volumes)
- Labberton, R. H. (1884). An historical atlas: A chronological series of one hundred and twelve maps at successive periods. New York.
- Litwin, H. (2016), Central European Superpower, BUM Magazine, October 2016.
- Loyn, H. R. (1989) The Middle Ages: A Concise Encyclopedia. (1989)
- Morris, I., & Scheidel, W. (2009). The Dynamics of Ancient Empires: State power from Assyria to Byzantium. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Pella, John & Erik Ringmar, History of International Relations Open Textbook Project, Cambridge: Open Book, forthcoming.
- Petitjean, P., Jami, C., Moulin, A. M., & Equipe REHSEIS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France)). (1992). Science and Empires: Historical Studies about Scientific Development and European Expansion. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
- Shepherd, W. R., & C.S. Hammond & Company. (1911). Historical Atlas. New York: Henry Holt and Co.
- Stearns, Peter N. ed. The Encyclopedia of World History (2001).